Birchbox April 2013

For this month(April) Birchbox lined up with Women'sHealth to bring us a themed box: Tiny Tweaks, Big Results.

Ruby Wing - Color Changing Nail Polish in Poppy: $4.6 for 7ml/0.25floz, full size is 15ml/0.5floz and goes for $10. Super excited to try this out, both colors are favorites of mine, so I would love to see both inside and outside!

J.R. Watkins - Hand & Cuticle Salve: $1.1 for 7g/0.25oz, full size is 59g/2.1oz and goes for $8.99. These cuticles need some love and pampering, so I'm really glad I got this. I know the value is not huge, but even the full size is super affordable (which is always a plus). Also, isn't this packaging so cute? It looks so vintage! Love it!

AHAVA - Purifying Mud Mask: $6.2 for 25g/0.9oz full size is 125g/4.3floz and goes for $31. I absolutely love mud masks, so I'm glad I get to try this one.

Simple - Revitalizing Eye Roll-On: $10.99 full size. This is supposed to help with puffiness and under eye circles. While I don't get the first, I always get the second, even if I get a good night sleep. They are not too dark when I actually get a good night's sleep, If I didn't get enough sleep they get darker, they are always still there though. I'm glad I get to try this out and see f it actually works for my evil under eye circles.

Oribe - Shampoo for Beautiful Color: $2.1 for 14ml/0.46floz, full size 250ml/8.5floz is and goes for $37. I do have color treated hair(I have ombrè hair), but I don't use shampoo. Birchbox did get it right and gave me a product for color treated hair, but how could they know I don't use shampoo? I don't blame them for me not liking or not being able to use this sample. There's no option in the profile that asks "Do you use shampoo?" So, it's all good.

Oribe - Conditioner for Beautiful Color: $1.4 for 14ml/0.46floz, full size 200ml/6.8floz is and goes for $39. I do use conditioner so I might actually try only the conditioner out.

Value and overall review: 

 The value of my box for this month is: $26.39

 That is honestly not that bad, is not the highest value ever, but I actually am really excited to try out the products.

 I think Birchbox really picked great products for me this month. Out of all 5, I won't use half of one of the samples.  I know I won't use up the nail polish entirely, because I have a lot of nail polish, but I definitely will use it. Everything else I'm sure I will use up.

 For some this might not be the greatest box, or not too exciting. But it fits my needs perfectly and has products I literally never have tried thus fulfilling the purpose of a subscription box. A lot of people expect Birchbox to send them huge things and highly priced and coveted items. Birchbox is a discovery service and so far it has done what is supposed to do for me.

 I can't recommend Birchbox highly enough. Box envy(being jealous of what other people got) will ruin your boxes. Don't let it, don't peek into other peoples boxes, just enjoy your own and try the products. If you still don't like what you get, tweak your profile to better suit your taste/needs. And if that still doesn't work, try another subscription service. At the end of the day, you are only out $10 and if you didn't try the products, you can always give them away.

 I'm in no way sponsored by Birchbox, I just really enjoy my boxes and understand the service.

 What was your favorite product this month in your Birchbox?

If you want to subscribe to Birchbox, you can click here. Or copy and paste this link onto your navigation bar: https://www.birchbox.com?raf=58jbc

 Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money, and this is my own personal opinion:)

Two easy tips for great hair!

     I've always been obsessed with my hair. I want it to look healthy, shiny and beautiful. Sometimes it's hard to find the right things for you, everybody is different, so what works for you might not work for me. I've tried different things for it, but sadly it always went back to looking dry and unhealthy.
    This is my new routine, it's affordable and it has worked wonders for me and I hope it can do the same for you.

Almond oil:

   Everybody knows that oils are good for your hair and skin, oils such as avocado, coconut, olive, and almond are great to use. For a long time I would apply olive oil on my hair and leave it on for about half an hour; it was great, my hair was moisturized and after washing it, it wasn't greasy, but I felt like it was still missing something. Now, my new go to oil is almond oil. Sometimes I mix it with some Argan oil. I apply this mix to my hair from about ear level all the way down to the ends with a little bit extra on the ends. After this, I just run my fingers through my hair with whatever is left on my hands, I leave it on my hair for 2 days and just wear my hair up in a bun. After 2 days I wash my hair like I regularly do. As a result my hair feels moisturized, looks shiny and overall feels much more healthy! I can tell this has decreased the amount of my split ends, plus my hair never looks dry and dead anymore.

   Before doing this, the day I washed my hair, it looked dry and dead after it dried, but not anymore! This has worked wonders for me and I totally love it. I paid $2 for a 110ml bottle I bought back in Costa Rica, and it has lasted me for about a month and a half. Sorry, I can't really provide a link for this oil specifically, but it's really easy to find almond oil. It's commonly sold either online or sometimes even in grocery stores.


   Don't worry about how your hair will look during the 2 days you wear it with the oil on it, if it's up in a bun no one will notice you have oil on your hair. A really great thing about this treatment is that Almond oil smells great!

Benefits of almond oil for your hair:

  Sweet almond oil is a rich source of vitamin E, vitamin D, magnesium, potassium and calcium, all these nutrients are beneficial for your skin and hair. It also contains three essential fats, monounsaturated oleic acid (omega-9 fatty acid), linoleic acid (an omega-6 essential fatty acid), and omega 3 essential fatty acid. The combination of fats and fatty acids in almond oil softens, strengthens and nourishes the hair making it look thicker and fuller.

Split ends:

   Hair is made from dead protein, mostly keratin, and since it's dead once it gets damaged there is no way to fix it, other than cutting off the damaged ends. The weight of the oil can help fuse the split ends of your hair together , so that they look healthy and smooth for a healthier look. 

Shine:

  Massaging the hair and scalp with almond oil will smooth out the hair cuticles, which will give it a healthy shine and prevent breakage.

Hair loss:

  With the help of Vitamin E and potassium, sweet almond oil nourishes hair. It helps to strengthen the shaft, provides protein to the hair, which is essential for hair growth and helps with the prevention of hair loss. Massaging almond oil onto you scalp will help with blood circulation, bring more oxygen and condition the hair follicles, which will also improve hair growth. 

Black Currant Seed Oil: 

  Produced from Black Currant Seeds, it contains essential fatty acids like Omega 3 and Omega 6, specifically  GLA (Gamma-Linolenic acid).
  To help with thinning hair and to prevent further hair loss, it's essential to have Omega 3 and 6 as part of your diet. Dry hair is more fragile and will break easier, so moisture is key for healthy hair.
  You can get Omega 3 and 6 from: flax seeds, simply add 2 tablespoons of freshly ground flax seeds to a yogurt or cereal for breakfast and you won't even taste them, or from supplements with GLA, such as Black Currant oil or Evening Primrose oil.
   Take 500mg of either, twice a day for six to eight weeks. Make sure they have at least 45mg of GLA and be patient about it, you won't notice major results right away, but give it some time(six to eight weeks usually). Soon after you'll see how your hair become healthier and a decrease in hair loss. Once you see results, you can cut the dose in half.

 Black Currant Seed Oil benefits for your hair, skin and nails:

•  Restores moisture to your hair and skin.
•  Promotes the healthy growth of skin, nails and  hair.
•  Blocks hormonal break down, which can cause thinning hair.
•  Strengthens hair ,decreasing breakage. 
•  Prevents hair splitting and dryness.
•  Helps brittle nails.

 Black Currant Seed Oil has a lot of other benefits for your health, but my focus in this post is geared for healthier hair. If you want to add it to your diet and take supplements, make sure you won't be affected by the side effects. For example, if you are predisposed to seizures, the Omega 6 acids increase the risk of occurrence, make sure to always check with your physician before taking anything.

  You can get Black Currant Seed Oil supplements at health and nutrition stores, or online. I got mine at amazon for around $9 and it has 80mg of GLA. The bottle comes with 100 soft gels, so it will last for around 2 months.

Here is a link to get the Black Currant Seed Oil that I use: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L83ENS/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00

 I hope these tips work for you as much as they have worked for me, and I wish your hair to always be healthy and beautiful!